What to Include in a Handoff Package When Turning a Cut Over to a Colorist

When you turn a cut over to a colorist, the quality of what you send determines whether color starts on Monday or spends two days chasing you for missing files. I have seen editorial teams hand off a Resolve XML, wave goodbye, and wonder why the colorist is back in their inbox by Tuesday. A solid handoff package cut over to colorist process is not glamorous work, but it is the difference between a smooth grade and a chaotic one.

Here is what I have learned building review workflows for post houses: most handoff disasters come from leaving the colorist to guess. They are guessing at your intent, guessing at which version is picture-locked, and guessing at which VFX are placeholders. Stop making them guess.

The Core Files a Colorist Actually Needs

Let's start with the non-negotiables. Every handoff package should contain:

• A locked sequence export (EDL, XML, or AAF depending on the NLE and the colorist's DaVinci Resolve setup). Confirm which format the colorist prefers before you export anything.
• A reference cut in H.264 or ProRes Proxy with burned-in timecode and audio. This is the visual bible. When anything looks wrong in the grade, the colorist checks against this.
• The project's LUT stack or any on-set reference LUTs used during shooting. If the DP pulled a specific look on set, the colorist needs to know.
• A VFX status list noting which shots are final, which are placeholders, and which are still incoming. A colorist grading an offline placeholder VFX shot is wasting their time.
• Any camera raw media or transcoded source files, organized by reel or card, with matching filenames to the EDL.

• Lock the sequence and verify no pending trims
• Export EDL or XML and a ProRes reference with burned-in TC
• List all VFX shots with their current status (final or placeholder)
• Include all on-set LUTs and any creative grade references
• Confirm audio sync with a reference mix
• Note any client-specific deliverable specs for the colorist

The Intent Document: Stop Skipping This

Every picture-locked cut I send to a colorist now includes a short intent document. It is not a creative brief the length of a novel. It is a one to two page PDF or Google Doc covering:

• The project's visual references (films, stills, or mood boards the director or DP has pointed to).
• Problem shots that need attention, like a scene where the practical lights were too warm or a day exterior that went overcast halfway through.
• Scenes where the DP has a specific preference that the colorist should address first.
• Any shots to protect because they are client-approved or have a legal restriction on changes.

Colorists are talented. But they are not mind readers. A two-paragraph note per act of the film is enough to prevent three rounds of corrections on something that could have been right the first time.

Organizing the Media So the Colorist Is Not Doing Your Job

Media organization is the part editors most often half-do. Here is the standard I use:

Every single folder should match what is in the EDL. No surprises, no orphaned files, no mysterious folders named "OLD" or "MISC". If the colorist opens the drive and has to call you to understand the structure, the handoff failed.

The Approval Link: How Review Should Work During Color

Here is where most post houses still lose time. The colorist sends a grade pass, the editor downloads it, the director watches it on their laptop, the producer watches it on their phone, and you get three sets of conflicting notes in three different email threads. By the time the colorist has decoded all of them, half a day is gone.

We built PlayPause specifically for this problem. The colorist or editor uploads the grade pass to PlayPause, shares a secure expiring link, and every stakeholder leaves frame-accurate comments pinned to the exact timecode. The director's note lands at 01:03:42 and the colorist sees it at 01:03:42. No ambiguity. No "around the part where she walks into the room".

Since PlayPause is flat per-workspace pricing with free guest reviewers, you can add the director, the producer, the DP, and the client all in the same review link without paying extra per head. That matters when you are trying to keep post costs predictable on a fixed-fee project.

VFX Placeholders: Be Explicit or Pay for It Later

I want to spend a moment on VFX status because it is where handoff packages most often fall apart. If the colorist grades a scene without knowing that three shots are offline VFX placeholders, they may grade the scene to those offline images. When the finals arrive, the grade will not match and you will eat correction time.

The fix is simple: include a shot list in the /DOCS folder that labels every VFX shot as FINAL, PLACEHOLDER, or PENDING. Color the PLACEHOLDER rows red in the spreadsheet. Tell the colorist in the intent document to skip those shots and park them for a second pass once finals arrive.

What Approval Looks Like at Picture Lock

The handoff package is also the moment to confirm picture lock in writing. I mean literally: the client or producer has approved the cut, and you have documentation of that. This matters because nothing derails a color grade faster than editorial reopening after the colorist has already graded three acts.

PlayPause's approval workflow lets you lock a version with a timestamped sign-off record. When the producer clicks Approve, that approval is logged with their name and the date. If anyone tries to re-open creative decisions after the handoff, you have the receipt. That sign-off record protects the colorist just as much as it protects you.

If you want to see how this compares to other tools on the market, our comparison with Frame.io walks through where the review workflows differ.

One More Thing: Deliverable Specs Go In the Package

Do not make the colorist hunt for delivery specs. Put them in the handoff package. Include the final codec, resolution, frame rate, color space target (Rec.709, P3, HDR10, whatever applies), and any platform-specific requirements. If there are multiple deliverables for broadcast and streaming simultaneously, list each one with its own spec row.

A colorist who knows the deliverable targets from day one can make informed decisions about their grade. One who has to ask partway through a long-form project is a colorist who may need to re-do work.

For related reading, see how a post supervisor manages colorist and editor handoffs and preventing version confusion during the color grading approval stage. If you want to understand what picture lock documentation looks like, this post on proving a cut was approved is a useful companion.

The goal is simple: the colorist opens your package, reads the intent document, and starts grading within the hour. Everything they need is there. No calls, no emails, no "can you resend the EDL?". That is what a real handoff package looks like.

If you want to bring this level of structure to your post workflow, try PlayPause free. The Agency plan at $19 per month gives your whole team and all your clients a shared review space with zero per-reviewer costs.